2008 Woodie Awards
Greensboro endures fifth driest month on record
Deena Zaru
Issue date: 2/16/08 Section: News
"Using a waterless urinal feels kind of European," said Jim Dees, environmental sustainability coordinator. "It's totally different than what you're used to, but it feels like why in the world did it take this long to change."
Each waterless urinal is estimated to save around 48,000 gallons of water each year, which is a national average.
Installing waterless urinals is one of several steps that Guilford is taking to save water, as Greensboro continues to face a drastic drought.
According to the News and Record, "Despite one overhyped dusting of snow and one harrowing morning of black ice caused by freezing drizzle, January saw less than an inch of rain."
This past January has been the fifth-driest month in Greensboro on record.
Recent rainfall has done little to relieve Greensboro of this drought, which is affecting the whole of North Carolina and the Southeast.
"In Greensboro, we are at the top of the water shed, so when it rains you don't see big rivers," said Rania Campbell-Cobb, environmental studies major. "You see little streams and lakes because the water goes down to these areas where the drought hasn't been as much of a problem."
"The big picture is that agriculture has been hit pretty hard because of the drought," said Assistant Professor of Geology, Angie Moore. "In North Carolina we don't irrigate our crops, so farmers depend on rainfall for their crops to grow."
Moore said that the lack of rain has affected levels of ground water, which are necessary for crops to grow.
"The soil is so dry that when it rains, the water is quickly absorbed and does not reach the bottom, so we are basically at a deficit," Moore said. "None of the new water is making it down into the ground. The longer the drought lasts, the longer the moisture deficit will be, and crops will not be able to grow."
Earlier this month, the News and Record reported that "The city's reservoirs are still far below capacity and the extended forecast isn't promising."
Each waterless urinal is estimated to save around 48,000 gallons of water each year, which is a national average.
Installing waterless urinals is one of several steps that Guilford is taking to save water, as Greensboro continues to face a drastic drought.
According to the News and Record, "Despite one overhyped dusting of snow and one harrowing morning of black ice caused by freezing drizzle, January saw less than an inch of rain."
This past January has been the fifth-driest month in Greensboro on record.
Recent rainfall has done little to relieve Greensboro of this drought, which is affecting the whole of North Carolina and the Southeast.
"In Greensboro, we are at the top of the water shed, so when it rains you don't see big rivers," said Rania Campbell-Cobb, environmental studies major. "You see little streams and lakes because the water goes down to these areas where the drought hasn't been as much of a problem."
"The big picture is that agriculture has been hit pretty hard because of the drought," said Assistant Professor of Geology, Angie Moore. "In North Carolina we don't irrigate our crops, so farmers depend on rainfall for their crops to grow."
Moore said that the lack of rain has affected levels of ground water, which are necessary for crops to grow.
"The soil is so dry that when it rains, the water is quickly absorbed and does not reach the bottom, so we are basically at a deficit," Moore said. "None of the new water is making it down into the ground. The longer the drought lasts, the longer the moisture deficit will be, and crops will not be able to grow."
Earlier this month, the News and Record reported that "The city's reservoirs are still far below capacity and the extended forecast isn't promising."
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